A redaction of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame.
A procreator?
He exists –– he’ll die or
here.
Pause.
The end , we’ve come to the end. I don’t need you
any more.
Pause.
He goes toward the door.
Leave me the gaff.
The gaff goes toward the door
, for a better place to Pause.
I’ll leave.
You go…
…say
something.
There is nothing to say.
A few words…
Yes. (Pause. Forcibly.) Yes! (Pause.) in the
end , shadows , all the trouble , then
(Pause.) Then , in the end : he said…
AHHH!!
Something…
A few words…
Pause.
: (fixed gaze , tonelessly , towards auditorium) they said to me
That’s love. Yes yes, not a doubt , –––– articulate!
How easy is that friendship? No question, you’ve found it. They
said to me , stop , raise your head and look
: you for oil for your lamp
and get out to hell
(Pause.) You know what
of darkness.
(feebly) I hadn’t any.
(as before) Yes, you had.
Pause. Clov casts up his eyes, brandishes fists. He loses
balance, clutches on to the ladder. He starts to get down, halts.
I’ll never understand
I always obey
you. Can you explain
compassion?
You won’t find it.
You won’t find it.
Pause.
In search of the telescope. I’m tired.
The chair : am I
right in
the centre?
You’d need a microscope
to find time .
Without.
(looking)
(angrily) hands to
his head. Pause.
Looks,
sees
, hastens on the head
violently with the
pain killer.
Yes. Quick!
Pause.
Good…
No more.
You’ll never get any
pain. Now it’s empty.
The alarm-clock.
(soft). (Pause. In a scream.)
Stands on the floor
with its face to wall
, What
are you doing?
Winding up. Look––earth!
Since it’s calling
––you.
Is your throat (Pause.)
(Pause.)
(Pause.)
Pity.
, humming , window right , before it
looks up at it .
How can it end?
to end?
I want to sing .
window
steps about time .
I wonder if I’m
The Dead
. Life goes
, a rug , no more rugs.
Pause.
Kiss me.
Pause. Will you not kiss me?
The forehead.
Anywhere.
Pause.
Me –––– your hand at least. (Pause.)
Touch
Pause.
(head bowed, absently) right.
to door , kill that right. (Exit. Pause.) to play .
unfold it , spread out before (Pause.) You weep , and
weep, for nothing . so not to laugh , little by little …
You begin to grieve.
I might have your
head , on earth
there’s no cure
for love –––
yourself ! (Pause. Calmer.)
(Pause. Violently.)
(Pause.)
All, all that! (Pause.) Not even real. The end is the beginning
yet you go on . (Pause.) Perhaps I have an instant
of happiness ? My knowledge.
under the window.
the light on my face.
Do you remember, in
the beginning , when you took me
for the earth?
(Angrily.) But there’s no light there! The other !
(Clov pushes toward window left.) The Earth!
(Clov stops tilts back his head .)
That’s light!
(Pause.) No?
No.
Pause.
Am I very white? (Pause. Angrily.) I’m asking you –––––
Open the window.
I want to hear the sea.
You wouldn’t hear it.
God
. (Pause.)
(resigned)
. off
(to Nagg).
(clasping hands
, closing Our Father
art–––
Silence! In silence! off
(prayer. Silence. Abandoning)
What hope!
Nothing
The bastard doesn’t exist !
There are no natural truths .
no (Pause.) Turkish
is nothing in return
for time
(Pause.) Did you call
in the dark? No. We
cry. Then we sleep in peace .
(Pause.)
I hope the day will listen
to you
, hear my voice
any voice . (Pause.)
I hope I’ll live tiny , frightened
, hope . (Pause.)
(Pause. He knocks louder .
Pause. Louder.)
(tone.)
(Narrative tone.)
Look at me
, don’t look at me . Drop
and presume . (Pause.)
The final (Pause. Forcibly.)
the object of invasion? (Pause.)
A bright , glorious day
, I remember the sun sinking into the ____ down
, among the dead. (tone.) (Narrative tone.)
Come , come on , present your labours .
(Pause.) (tone.) English well . . . (Narrative
tone . ) the plunge . my little one tests , a little
bad . My little boy , as if sex mattered . did he come
He the hole . a good half soul and the child
–––assuming he existed. I inquired beyond the sinner. Good.
And you
alone , and alive
into the howling dead
pines and (Pause. Normal tone.)
feeble , that. (Pause. Narrative tone.)
Speak up , what
is it you want from me
, I have bread for his brat. Bread?
Good. perhaps
(Pause . Normal tone . )
(Narrative tone.) A pound
, a pound and a half ––
––if he’s still alive––
a nice pot and a half
full of nourishment. Good.
The colours come back –– perhaps. And then?
He halts.
What a brain! (Pause.) Well ?
Wait! (He meditates.) Yes…
(More convinced.) Yes!
Set the alarm. Pause.
You whistle
me. I don’t come.
The alarm rings .
It doesn’t ring. I’m dead.
Pause.
(Pause. Impatiently.) The alarm , is it working?
Working?
It’s worked too much.
It’s hardly worked at all.
I’ll go and see . (Exit Clov. Brief ring of alarm . Enter Clov
alarm. They listen to it ringing to the end.)
Wake the dead!
The end is terrific!
I prefer
the middle.
No!
It’s time for my story. Do you want to listen to my story.
No.
goes to bins, raises the lid , stoops , looks into it .
He straightens up.
Asleep. Wake.
Nagg with the alarm Unintelligible story.
A bon-bon wants a sugar plum .
You’re not I .
You won’t be any more .
the creatures , explained to them
with gaff.
up like a punt-pole
, down the gaff.
The castors.
What (violently.) that bloody awful day , long ago
, taught me. If they don’t mean any more, teach me
, others. Let me be silent. Pause.
I once a madman thought the end
was a painter ––– I had a great fondness
for him. I used to go and see him, in
the rising sails the herring fleet!
All loveliness! (Pause.) He’d snatch
away into ashes . (Pause.)
He alone had been spared. (Pause.) Forgotten. (Pause.)
The case is . . . you weren’t
in the land of the living . God be
Pause. (Pause. again.) He was a painter––and engraver.
I’ll leave.
Never. down in a hole. (Pause.)
beyond the Ponoma! (Ecstatically.) Ceres! (Pause.) Perhaps
very far.
very far. I’ll leave you.
my
kind
of
lack. an (Exit.)
we’re holding a toy
are here.
He’s white, isn’t he?
Nearly.
Nearly? Is he white or isn’t he?
He isn’t.
Pause.
You’ve forgotten the sex.
(vexed.) The sex goes on at the end.
Pause.
His ribbon isn’t
Pause.
I don’t know.
Try.
Well?
Wait!
Fail , let it go. fall on
(impatiently.) Well?
(with ardour). Let’s go
the two of us! South!
the currents will carry us away
far away to , God forbid!
I’ll embark alone!
I’ll be gone forever.
(hastening towards door.) I’ll start straight away.
Wait!
(halt.) Think? I don’t know.
There there will be.
door.
Wait!
My pain-killer?
(violently.)
door.
Wait!
Your eyes?
Bad.
But you can see?
All I want.
Your legs?
I come … and go.
In my house (Pause. Prophetic relish.) One day
, like me. You’ll be the void , in the dark
you’ll say to yourself , I’m tired , I’ll sit down
you’ll say , I’m hungry , I’ll get up
But you won’t get up and you won’t eat. (Pause.)
You’ll look then you’ll say , a little sleep , after that
And when you open (Pause.) Infinite emptiness
will be resurrected dead ages
would grit the middle steppe. (Pause.)
Yes, one day you’ll know you’ll . . .
Clov: (looking).
And now?
All gone.